Falls airmen drop critical supplies for troops in Afghanistan

by jmaloni

Fri, Jul 1st 2011 03:30 pm

A C-130 Hercules from the New York Air National Guard flies over Afghan landscape on its way to delivering much-needed supplies to a forward operating base in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan on June 22. (photo by Senior Airman Krista Rose)

by Air Force Master Sgt. Mary
Davis

Citizen airmen from the New
York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing, based at Niagara Falls Air
Reserve Station, airdropped critical supplies to Army troops in Afghanistan on
Wednesday, June 22.

The Niagara Falls aircrew,
flying one of the C-130 Hercules cargo planes assigned to the base, teamed up
with another C-130 from the Alaska Air National Guard to drop 20,000 pounds of
cargo to soldiers in Oruzgan province.

The airlift of food, fuel,
water and ammunition to these forward operating bases in southern Afghanistan
meant that soldiers would not have to move supplies by potentially dangerous
ground convoys.

Eighty members of the 107th
Airlift Wing and two aircraft deployed to Afghanistan on Memorial Day, May 30.

"We delivered about 10
containers per aircraft at about 1,000 pounds per container," said Master Sgt.
Timothy Griffin, a C-130 loadmaster from Buffalo, and a member of the 107th
Airlift Wing.

Griffin worked with the
Army riggers at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan to prepare cargo pallets for the
drop using the Improved Container Delivery System.

There is an inherent amount
of risk when flying during the daytime, that is doubled when flying more than
one aircraft to the drop area, said Lt. Col. Chris Thurn, C-130 pilot with the
107th and the mission commander.

"These types of missions
are typically flown at night," the East Amherst resident said. "The second
aircraft had to perform fluid travel maneuvers from the 3 to 9 o'clock
positions to mitigate threats and keep from becoming predictable."

Exercises and training is a
huge aspect of Thurn's work back at his home station. This helped his team
perform flawlessly during the airdrop.

"As an instructor pilot and
evaluator pilot, I put a lot of emphasis on training to make sure we are
prepared," he said. "It's the long-term effects of what we do on a daily basis
that makes a difference. If I can help those on the ground, I'm proud to do
this."

Airmen from the 107th and
the U.S. Air Force's 914th Airlift Wing trained with soldiers at Fort Drum on
the proper way to conduct an airdrop to prepare for this deployment.

Despite having aircrews
from two separate Air National Guard units, they had one mission in mind -
getting supplies downrange to combat forces on the ground.

"The system enables
accuracy by adjusting to wind data, terrain and other vital information
affecting the airdrop," said Capt. Tom Bradford, an active-duty C-130 navigator
from the 39th Airlift Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "The ICDS
collects data so aircraft speed and altitude can be adjusted."

Bradford provided his
airdrop expertise to ANG aircrews and served as an extra set of eyes on the
flight. He also operates as continuity between ANG units completing 90-day
rotations in theater demonstrating the Total Force concept; i.e. the active Air
Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve operating together.

"It's challenging to work
with different aircrews, but one benefit is learning how people do things
differently," said the Eighty Four, Pa., native. "I've been deployed to this
area twice, so I advise them about various aspects of the drop zones."

Lt. Col. Rich Adams from
Anchorage, Alaska, the commander of the 774th Air Expeditionary Squadron, the
unit the 107th Airlift Wing crews are assigned to in Afghanistan, echoed
Thurn's sentiments.

"We take pride in doing
this, because it keeps people from having to drive in convoys. Airdropping
supplies, keeps people out of harm's way and keeps war fighters in the fight,"
he said.